Method for extracting compositions from plants

ABSTRACT

Methods for extracting and concentrating cannabinoids using ultrasound-enhanced solvent extraction. Freshly harvested cannabis plant materials, which may be selectively chosen plant parts or the entire plant itself, are shredded to a particular particle size. The plant material is then mixed with a solvent to form a slurry, and thereafter subjected to ultrasound to release intracellular contents into the solvent. Filtering steps are then applied to remove biomass, waxes and chlorophyll. Water removal and solvent recovery steps are further applied to ultimately derive an extract having high concentrations of target cannabinoids, and in particular cannabidiol (CBD). The methods may be deployed on-site in batch or continuous flow processes, and may further be utilized to derive other types of materials from plants, such as essential oils.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relates to and claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/627,616 filed Feb. 7, 2018 and entitled “METHODS FOREXTRACTING COMPOSITIONS FROM PLANTS,” the entire disclosure of which ishereby wholly incorporated by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to methods for extracting andconcentrating cannabinoids and other target compounds from cannabisusing ultrasound-enhanced solvent extraction. The methods of the presentinvention are exceptionally effective in maximizing the recovery oftarget cannabinoids, and in particular cannabidiol (CBD), from eitherselect plant structures of cannabis, and in particular the rootsthereof, or from the entire cannabis plant as a whole. It is furtherbelieved that the methods of the present invention may likewise beexceptionally effective in extracting essential oils and fragranceextracts from plants for use in a variety of scented products, perfumesand other applications.

Techniques for deriving extracts from plants, and in particularcannabis, are well-known in the art. Indeed, crude methods for derivingextracts from cannabis date back more than a thousand years ago. To thatend, the primary objective in deriving such extracts is to isolatecannabinoids, namely, the chemical compounds secreted by cannabis thatimitate naturally-produced endocannabinoids that maintain homeostasisand general health and well-being.

Cannabis contains at least 85 types of cannabinoids with each having adifferent therapeutic effect in treating pain, nausea, anxiety andinflammation, among others. When cannabis is consumed, whether throughconsumption or inhalation (as in smoking), the cannabinoids, usuallyfollowing decarboxylation, are operative to bind to receptor siteseither located in the brain, via CB-1 receptors, or peripherallythroughout the body, via CB-2 receptors. The most well-known and studiedof the cannabinoids include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol(CBD), whose respective chemical structures are shown below:

THC is well-known as a psychoactive or hallucinogenic compound thatbinds primarily to CB-1 receptors and is responsible for producing theeuphoric high associated with cannabis consumption. CBD, on the otherhand, is non-psychoactive cannabinoid and binds primarily to CB-2receptors throughout the body and is associated with reducing anxiety,reducing pain and protecting against nerve damage, among otherphysiological effects. Other known cannabinoids and their derivativesthat also have potentially therapeutic applications include thefollowing:

Cannabigerolic Acid (CBGA)

Cannabigerolic Acid Monoethylether (CBGAM)

Cannabigerolic (CBG)

Cannabigerolic Monoethylether (CBGM)

Cannabigerovarinic Acid (CBGVA)

Cannabigerovarin (CBGV)

Cannibichromenic Acid (CBCA)

Cannibichromene (CBC)

Cannibichromevarinic Acid (CBCVA)

Cannibichromevarin (CBCV)

Cannabidiolic Acid (CBDA)

Cannabidiol Monoethylether

Cannabidiol-C4 (CBD-C4)

Cannabidivarinic Acid (CBDVA)

Cannabidivarin (CBDV)

Cannabidiorcol (CBS-C1)

Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabinolic Acid A (INPLANTA A-A)

Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabinolic Acid B (INPLANTA A-B)

Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabinol (INPLANTA)

Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabinol-C4 (INPLANTA -C4)

Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabivarin (INPLANTA V)

Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabiorcolic Acid (INPLANTA A-C1)

Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabiorcol (INPLANTA-C1)

Delta-7-cis-iso-tetrahyrocannbivarin

Delta-8-tetrahyrocannabinolic Acid (8-INPLANTA A)

Delta-8-tetrahyrocannabinol (8-INPLANTA)

Cannabicyclolic Acid (CBLA)

Cannabicyclol (CBL)

Cannabicyclovarin (CBLV)

Cannabielsoic Acid A (CBEA-A)

Cannabielsoic Acid B (CBEA-B)

Cannabielsoin (CBE)

Cannabinolic Acid (CBNA)

Cannabinol (CBN)

Cannabinol Methylether (CBNM)

Cannabinol-C4 (CBN-C4)

Cannabivarin (CBV)

Cannabinol-C2 (CBN-C2)

Cannabiorcol (CBN-C1)

Cannabinodiol (CBND)

Cannabinodivarin (CBVD)

Cannabitriol (CBT)

10-Ethoxy-9-hydroxy-delta-6a-tetrahyrocannabinol

8,9-Dihydroxy-delta-6a-tetrahyrocannabinol

Cannabitriolvarin (CBTV)

Ethoxy-cannabitriolvarin (CBTVE)

Dehydrocannabifuran (DCBF)

Cannabifuran (CBF)

Cannabichromanon (CBCN)

Cannabicitran (CBT)

10-Oxo-delta-6a-tetrahyrocannabinol (OINPLANTA)

Delta-9-cis-tetrahydrocannbinol (cis-INPLANTA)

3,4,5,6-Tetrahydro-7-hydroxy-alpha-alpha-2-trimethyl-9-n-propyl-2,6-methano-2H-1-benzoxocin-5-methanol (OH-iso-HHCV)

Cannabiripsol (CBR)

Trihydroxy-delta-9-tetrahyrdocannabinol (triOH-INPLANTA)

Recovering the sought-after cannabinoids from the cannabis plant is awell-known and challenging process that to be performed most effectivelyrequires substantial time and labor involving numerous steps. In thisregard, most extraction processes require careful harvesting of selectportions of the cannabis plant, and, in particular the leaves and budsthat, once removed, must be subjected to a time-consuming drying processwhereby the moisture content of the plant, typically around 75% moisturewhen harvested, is dried to have a resultant moisture content of 10-15%.Because cannabinoids can easily decompose when subjected to heat and UVradiation, rapid drying techniques are often times highly destructiveand can cause a significant portion of the sought-after cannabinoids tochemically decompose. There are currently no commercially-viable methodsfor rapidly and easily deriving cannabinoid extracts in highconcentrations from freshly-harvested cannabis, and much less methodsthat are portable and can be deployed on a specific grow site.

Still further, even if properly harvested and cured cannabis isobtained, the cannabinoids contained therein must be subjected to aseparate extraction process. Many such extraction methods are well-knownin the art, including simple water-based extraction, which typicallyutilizes water, heat and pressure through a filtering mechanism.Alternatively, cannabinoids can be derived through solvent-basedextraction processes, which typically deploy the use of alcohols andother hydrocarbons, most notably hexane, butane and propane. Stillfurther, supercritical CO₂ can be used as a solvent to derive cannabisextracts.

Problems associated with both water and solvent-based extractionprocesses are well-known. Water-based extracts are known to besignificantly diluted as many of the cannabinoids are never ultimatelyrecovered from the cannabis plant. Solvent-based extracts, whilederiving more potent extracts, typically use toxic and potentiallyexplosive solvents that are dangerous to work with. Moreover, residualsolvent can and does frequently appear in the final cannabis extractwhich can make the extract dangerous to consume. Both water andsolvent-based extracts further suffer from the drawback of suboptimalcannabinoid extraction due to the inability to draw out intracellularcannabinoids that are typically trapped within the cell walls of thecannabis plant material, and hence unable to be recovered. Bothextraction processes further disadvantageously can produce extractshaving residual components, such as waxes, fatty acids and chlorophyll,which make for an undesirable product and require further processing toderive an extract only containing the cannabinoids of interest.

While other modalities have been deployed in combination with theaforementioned extraction techniques to increase cannabinoid yield andminimize residual contaminants and excess solvent and the like, therehas not heretofore been a comprehensive method by which an extract canultimately be derived that includes a maximum concentration ofcannabinoids that can be isolated from all or part of a cannabis plant,including roots, seeds and other parts of the cannabis plant deemedundesirable, that further minimizes the presence of undesirablecontaminants and volume of solvent associated with such extractionprocesses. There is much less any such process that can further bedirectly utilized on freshly harvested cannabis of any variety,including all species of hemp, that does not need to first undergoextensive and time consuming drying processes, can be designed to beportable in nature, can be deployed on-site in close proximity to wherethe cannabis is grown and directly harvested, and can likewise bedeployed in batch or continuous flow applications.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present invention specifically addresses and alleviates theabove-identified deficiencies in the art. In this regard, the presentinvention is directed to systems and processes for extracting andconcentrating target compositions from plants, and in particularcannabinoids from cannabis especially CBD and derivatives thereof,although other specific cannabinoids may likewise be targeted forextraction. To that end, the present invention contemplates usingfreshly harvested cannabis, that can include the entire plant, includingroots, stems, leaves, buds and seeds among other structures, or specificparts of the plant, namely, buds, and process the same despite thepresence of water present in such freshly harvested plant material. Inone application, it is contemplated that the roots of the cannabis plantmay be exclusively utilized as the source of the material from which thecannabinoids are extracted. The methods of the present invention arefurther operative to extract cannabinoids from all species of cannabis,which as used herein expressly including (e.g., cannabis) sub species,i.e., indica, sativa, ruderalis, and further expressly includes hemp andall parts thereof (e.g., seeds) as presently defined as containing >0.3%THC per volume concentration.

Such freshly-harvested plant material is first shredded or grinded to aparticular particle size ranging from 1-12 mm, and preferably 2-6 mm, orare alternatively sized such that the pieces are operative to passthrough a 0.5 inch mesh screen and preferably through a 0.25 inch meshscreen. With respect to the shredding step, in some embodiments a two(2) step process is contemplated depending on what part of the plant isbeing processed. For softer portions of the plant, such as leaves andbuds, that can be readily processed into the desired particulate sizeusing food-grade, medical plant processers. For the processing of thethicker, more dense plant material, and in particular the roots andstems, it is contemplated that processing techniques will be utilizedthat will be modeled after root-type vegetable processing where a heavyduty shredder is utilized to shred the denser plant material into afirst particle size and thereafter passed to a second food-grade-typeprocessor so as to achieve a desired particle size.

To that end, it is believed that a variety of conventional shreddingmechanisms and techniques may be deployed. In certain embodiments, it isbelieved that low speed shredding of the cannabis material may beutilized using conventional food grade processing equipment or, forlarger volumes of plants material, spiral coil or screw-type shredders.In more highly refined embodiments, cryomilling may be deployed wherebythe shredded plant material either before or during the shredding stepis subjected to liquid nitrogen to thus enable plant material to befrozen for easier shredding and subsequent processing when mixed withsolvents. For example, the cannabis plant material may be deposited intoa bowl cutter/agitation tank where the temperature is controllable andthe cannabis is cut to size in cryogenic conditions. The shreddedcannabis may likewise be subjected to liquid nitrogen after theshredding step so as to reduce temperature of the plant material priorto further processing so as to facilitate the removal of impurities,such as waxes and chlorophyll.

Once sufficiently shredded to the ideal particle size, the particulatecannabis plant material is then mixed with a solvent, which can includeany of a variety of known liquid hydrocarbon solvents, includingethanol, isopropyl alcohol, coconut oil, glycerin, and propylene glycol,as well as super critical CO₂ or water. Presently, it is believedethanol is preferred. In certain embodiments, an ideal solvent includes1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, which is also known as hydrofluorocarbon(HFC)-134a. The particulate cannabis plant material is mixed with thesolvent such that the amounts of solvent to ground cannabis plantmaterial will range from 25 mL of solvent to 50 grams of particulatecannabis to 25 mL of solvent to 0.01 gram of particulate cannabis withthe range of 25 mL of solvent per 10 grams of cannabis to 25 mL ofsolvent per 2 grams of cannabis being preferred, especially for hempextractions, and in a further preferred refinement will range between 25mL per 10 grams to 25 mL per 3 grams. A ratio of 25 mL per 5 grams forall varieties of cannabis, including hemp, is believed to be mostideally suited for the practice of the present invention.

In all applications, the solvent is preferably maintained in a chilledstate but can be utilized in a range from preferably between −80 to 95°C., and mixed with the plant material to form a slurry. When usingethanol, the temperature range is preferably between −40 to −60° C. Suchslurry is then subjected to ultrasound, the latter being applied at afrequency ranging from 5 kHz-1 MHz with the general range of 10 kHz-60kHz being preferred and 40 kHz being most preferred. Such sonic energywill further be applied with a displacement amplitude in the range fromabout 20-100 micrometers, with 80 micrometers being most preferred, andwith power being delivered in a range from 90 to about 160 watts persquare centimeter of liquid slurry being treated. To that end, anultrasound generator or sonicator having a power output ranging from 200to 2000 watts can typically be utilized with a generator having an outform 1000-2000 watts being preferred for treating larger volumes. Theultrasound will further preferably be applied for a duration rangingfrom 30 seconds to a maximum of 5 minutes, with up to 120 seconds beingpreferred. The slurry is preferably maintained at a temperature of −40°C. or less when the ultrasound is applied and ethanol is used as asolvent.

The ultrasound-treated slurry is then filtered and treated to removechlorophyll and other undesirable components through a variety ofmechanisms, and further treated to remove the solvent and residual wateremanating from the shredded, freshly harvested cannabis plant to derivean oil-based extract. In optional refinements of the invention, theslurry following treatment with ultrasound may be processed tofacilitate the removal of plant biomass, such as through a French pressor centrifugation step, with the resultant waste biomass being treatedfurther with ultrasound to reduce mass volume. It is also contemplatedthat an on-going solvent recovery application may be integrated into theprocesses of the present invention, especially following post-ultrasoundtreatment of the slurry, and can include EVAP/vacuum recovery andboiling recovered solvent through a distillation system that not onlyremove the solvent but also remove any water emanating from theharvested cannabis plant.

In alternative processing embodiments, after sonication, the slurry ispassed through a screw plate filter to separate the liquid containingethanol, water, chlorophyll, wax and oil components, the lattercontaining the desired cannabinoids. The spent solid biomass isseparated for disposal or is recycled or repurposed. The waxes andchlorophyll may be removed by convention means. Alternatively, thechlorophyll may be removed by a unique sequential application ofmicro/nano membrane filtration and activated carbon.

The oil-based extracts of cannabis may then be derived by specializedwiped-film evaporation/thin film evaporators or thin film filtration.With respect to the former, it is contemplated that conventionalwiped-film evaporation may be deployed whereby the oil-based cannabisextract is caused to be distributed as a film on the inner surface of aheated pipe whereby an integrated wiping system, typically a rotor, isoperative to generate a highly turbulent flow, which thus results in theformation of bow waves and creating optimum heat flux and mass transferconditions. The volatile components, namely, any water (as may bepresent from shredding the harvested plant) and solvent present in theslurry, are rapidly evaporated via conductive heat transfer whereby thevapors exit a vapor discharge section and are subsequently condensed andseparated.

With respect to thin film filtration, such procedure involves the use ofa micron pressure filter having a cloth filter medium to remove fineparticulates suspended in the slurry following the application ofultrasound. This filter is intended to remove chlorophyll in a series ofmicro and nano porous ceramic membranes whereby a series of membranefiltration techniques covering microfiltration to remove colloidalmatter, tight ultrafiltration or nano-filtration will reduce the colorintensity imparted majorly by chlorophyll A and chlorophyll B and to aminor extent by other forms of the coloring matter. In large volumeapplications, it is contemplated that two or more identical filters arerun in parallel so that during operation one can be bypassed while theother is changed supporting continuous operation. Ultimately, the oilcomponent containing the cannabinoids will pass along with the solventand can be recovered per conventional techniques.

In all cases, the resultant extract contains an exceptionally highconcentration of cannabinoids, and in particular CBD's that can bequantified by UV-vis absorbent spectroscopy, among other techniques.Furthermore, all of the equipment operative to perform theaforementioned steps of the process of the present invention isgenerally commercially available and portable in nature such that thevarious steps of shredding/grinding, slurry formation, treatment withultrasound, filtering and concentrating the extract ultimately derivedcan readily be transported and deployed to a growth site where freshlyharvested cannabis can be treated and processed immediately. Moreover,the methods of the present invention expressly contemplate processing ineither a batch or continuous flow process and may be scaled toaccommodate any range of weight or field size of cannabis plantmaterial. The methods of the present invention are further contemplatedas being exceptionally efficient and effective at deriving extracts fromother plants, such as essential oils and fragrance compounds as producedby a wide variety of plants. In this regard, it is believed that themethods of the present invention can be useful in deriving fragrantextracts for use in a wide variety of products, such as perfumes,cosmetics, and other areas requiring or desiring fragrance enhancements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These as well as other features of the present invention will becomemore apparent upon reference to the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a flow chart of the steps and system components forperforming the methods for extracting and concentrating cannabinoidsfrom cannabis per a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of the steps and system components forperforming the methods for extracting and concentrating cannabinoidsfrom cannabis per a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of the steps and system components forperforming the methods for extracting and concentrating cannabinoidsfrom cannabis per a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 depicts the first portion of a flow chart for controlling andmonitoring the systems and methods of the present invention for theautomated and continuous production of cannabinoids of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 depicts the remaining portion of the flow chart originating inFIG. 4.

FIG. 6 illustrates absorbance of CBD extracts derived using the methodsof the present invention at 312 nm by UV-visible spectroscopy.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is directed to methods for extracting andconcentrating desired cannabinoids, and in particular CBD, from cannabisplant material that are not only operative to maximize the amount ofdesired cannabinoids derived from cannabis but to further do so in amanner that is far more effective and efficient than prior art methods.In particular, the methods of the present invention advantageouslyenable “wet” or freshly harvested cannabis to be processed immediatelyon-site through a combination of commercially-available mechanisms, andcan further be deployed to extract cannabinoids in high concentrationsfrom all parts of the cannabis plant, and in particular the roots ofsuch plant. While it is believed that any of a variety of well-knowncannabis plants can be utilized, and in particular either cannabisindicia or cannabis sativa, it is believed that cannabis sativa may bedeemed more optimal due to its higher levels of CBD, as opposed to thepsychoactive and intoxicating THC component. As should be understood,other varieties of cannabis may be chosen based on the desiredcannabinoid sought to be derived. In this regard, for purposes of thepresent invention, the term “cannabis” should be construed to encompassall species of cannabis, including sub species, i.e., indica, sativa,ruderalis, and expressly includes hemp and all parts thereof (e.g.,seeds) as presently defined as containing >0.3% THC per volumeconcentration.

According to a first preferred method and system 10 shown in FIG. 1, asolid feed of cannabis plant material 12 from a desired species ofcannabis is provided, preferably freshly harvested, and fed to aconveyer 16 and ultimately to shredder 18 where the cannabis is shreddedor grinded to have a particulate size ranging from 1 to 12 mm andpreferably 2-6 mm. The particles are alternatively cut to size such thatthey are operative to pass through a 0.5 inch mesh screen, andpreferably through a 0.25 inch mesh screen. Such shredding can beaccomplished via a variety of conventional shredding machines, such asthe Eco-Shredder ES1600 14-Amp Electric Chipper/Shredder/Mulcherproduced by Durostar of La Verne, Calif. and the Flowtron LE-900Ultimate Mulcher Electric Leaf Shredder produced by Flowtron of Malden,Mass.

While it is believed that the particulate size can be readily achievedutilizing food-grade, medical plant processors well-known in the art, insome applications that involve the processing of thicker-more denseplant material, in particular the roots and stems of the cannabis plant,the present invention may integrate processing techniques modeled afterroot-type vegetables processing. To that end, it is contemplated thatthe cannabis plant will typically be harvested by hand and must be firstwashed to remove dirt such as by root cleaner 14. To perform such step,it is contemplated that any variety of brush washer machines for fruitand vegetable washing may be readily utilized. As is well-known in theart, such machines are specifically designed to wash and rinse off dirtfrom freshly harvested vegetables. Following such washing process, afirst heavy-duty shredder is utilized to break down the plant'sstructures to a first smaller particulate size. Thereafter, ifnecessary, such pre-shredded plant structures are subjected to theaforementioned food-grade, medical plant processors as so to achieve thedesired uniformed size. As will be appreciated by those skilled in theart, such processing can be done using conventional equipment that iscommercially available at relatively low cost.

Advantageously, the methods of the present invention contemplateimmediate processing of freshly harvested cannabis on-site and areoperative to derive extracts that further remove water naturally presentin the cannabis plant by virtue of being freshly harvested. However, insome alternative embodiments, the cannabis plant material may optionallybe first cured and dried via dryer 20 such that the moisture content ofthe cannabis material reaches as low as 10-15%, per conventional dryingand curing procedures. To that end, it is believed that a variety ofconventional drying mechanisms and techniques may be deployed includingthe use of dehydrators such as the Ultimate Herb Dryer systems producedby Viagrow or Cabela's Harvester Pro Five-tier Dehydrator or Cabela's 6or 10 tray Dehydrators produced by Cabela. It is likewise contemplatedthat conventional freeze-drying techniques, technically known aslyophilisation, lyophilization, or cryodesiccation, may be utilized topre-treat the cannabis/hemp plant materials. Importantly, it iscontemplated that all such plant material may include any part of thecannabis or hemp plant, including stems and seeds, in addition to thetraditionally sought-after leaves and buds. Furthermore, the presentinvention expressly contemplates utilizing the root of the cannabisplant as part of deriving the extract of the present invention, and mayexclusively utilize the root material of the plant.

In certain applications to facilitate the shredding of the plantmaterial to the desired particulate size, it is contemplated thatconventional low speed shredding techniques may be deployed asunderstood by those skilled in the art. Alternatively, cryomillingapplications may be utilized whereby the plant material is subjected toliquid nitrogen either before or during the shredding process. As itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art, by deploying suchcryomilling procedures allows for more thorough and uniformed shreddingfor a greater consistency in uniformed particle size. For example, thestep of cryomilling can happen in a bowl cutter or on a conveyer beltsystem where the pre-frozen cannabis is shredded prior to furtherprocessing. Moreover, it is contemplated that the use of liquid nitrogenmay be deployed even after the shredding of plant material to thusreduce the plant material temperature as is considered ideal for futureprocessing, discussed more fully below.

Immediately after or concurrently with the shredding and grinding step,a solvent is added to the particulate plant material to form a slurry inmixing tank 22. Such solvent may be selected from any of a variety ofknown solvents, including those in the group consisting of ethanol,butane, propane, isopropyl alcohol, coconut oil, glycerin, propyleneglycol or supercritical carbon dioxide gas, with 100% (200-proof)ethanol being preferred. To the extent an oil solvent is utilized, itwill be understood that the volume of the extract ultimately obtained,by virtue of being oil-based, will have a greater volume and morediluted in terms of cannabinoid concentration. Still further, althoughless desired due to its toxicity, naphtha may also be used as a solvent.Water, either alone or with a phase transfer agent or soap may be usedas a solvent as well. A further solvent believed to be particularly wellsuited for the practice of the present invention includes1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, also known as hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-134a.Such halocarbon is known in the art and frequently referenced as acandidate for replacing other halocarbon materials for use in airconditioning and refrigeration systems. Such material alsoadvantageously possesses very low toxicity profile.

The amount of solvent added to the ground cannabis plant material willrange from 25 mL of solvent per 50 grams of particulate cannabis to 25mL of solvent to 0.01 grams of particulate cannabis. A narrower range of25 mL of solvent per 10 grams of particulate cannabis plant material to25 mL per 2 grams is preferred, especially for hemp extractions, and ina further preferred refinement between 25 mL solvent per 10 gramsparticulate cannabis to 25 mL per 3 grams. A ratio of 25 mL of solventper 5 grams of all varieties of cannabis, including hemp, is believed tobe most ideally suited for the practice of the present invention. Withrespect to the latter ratio, 25 mL per 5 grams, such plant material willpreferably consist entirely of cannabis buds, as opposed to any otherplant structure. In certain refinements of the present invention,additional additives may be included such as sodium hydroxide in orderto facilitate chlorophyll removal through known methods in the art.Exemplary of such methods are disclosed in Li T, Xu J, Wu H, et al. ASaponification Method for Chlorophyll Removal from Microalgae Biomass asOil Feedstock. Long P, ed. Marine Drugs, 2015:14(9):162.Doi:10.2290/md14090162, the teachings of which are incorporated byreference. Such method is believed to be ideal insofar as such methoddoes not cause decarboxylation of the sought-after CBD molecules.

In all applications except for those involving supercritical CO₂ orhydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-134a, the solvent as mixed with the plantmaterial will have a temperature ranging from −80 to 95° C.; however,for optimal extraction recovery, the solvent will be kept in a chilled,refrigerated state. Temperatures approaching 0° C. are optimal forwater. For ethanol, it is believed that maintaining the temperaturebetween −60 to −40° C. is preferred. Such chilled temperatures may bemaintained via the use of conventional techniques and systems suchrefrigerated baths and/or the use of circulating liquid nitrogen.

The slurry mixture of solvent with particulate plant matter will bemixed for a duration ranging between thirty seconds to ten minutes andis then subjected to ultrasound as delivered through one or moreultrasonic reactors 26. Specifically, the ultrasound will be applied ata frequency ranging from 5 kHz-1 MHz with the general range of 10 kHz-60kHz being preferred and with 40 kHz being most preferred. Presently, itis believed that the sonic energy applied should have a displacementamplitude in the range of from about 20 to 100 micrometers, with 80micrometers being most preferred. As should be appreciated, theamplitude may be adjusted according to whether the processes of thepresent invention are conducted; however, caution should be taken asdisplacement amplitudes greater than 80 micrometers can cause fluiddecoupling to occur.

The preferred range of power that should be delivered should preferablyrange from about 90 to about 160 watts per square centimeter of slurrytreated. The ultrasound will further preferably be applied for aduration ranging from thirty seconds to a maximum of five minutes, withup to one hundred twenty seconds being preferred. When ethanol is usedas the solvent, the temperature of the slurry should also preferably bemaintained at −40° C. or less when the ultrasound is applied so as tofacilitate the subsequent removal of certain contaminants, such as waxesand the like, per conventional winterizing processes well-known to thoseskilled in the art.

Exemplary equipment operative to impart the ultrasound to such mixtureis commercially available from Hielscher USA, Inc. of Wanaque, NJ,although other branded, commercially-available products arecontemplated. Typically, ultrasound generators or sonicators having apower output ranging from 200 to 2000 watts can be utilized, withultrasound generators having an output ranging from 1000 to 2000 wattsbeing well-suited to provide sufficient ultrasonic treatment for theembodiments disclosed herein. Advantageously, the ultrasound applied tothe slurry may be done so in either a batch or continuous flow processas may be desired for a given application. The application ofultrasound, as will be readily appreciated, facilitates the disruptionof the cell walls of the plant and releases intracellular contents,including the cannabinoids of interest that thus become available forsolvent extraction.

Following treatment with ultrasound, the processed crude material willnext be passed through a course mesh filter 28 to remove unwantedbiomass, with the resultant extract then being treated to removechlorophyll and other undesirable components, such as fatty acids, waxesand the like. In an exemplary process well suited for the embodiment ofFIG. 1, such extract is treated with 0.04% sulfuric acid/phosphoric acidto remove the chlorophyll and other pH labile compounds (e.g., fattyacids, phospholipids, etc.) by precipitation. Once precipitated, theslurry is filtered by a course 100 μm pore size cotton fiber filter. Thefiltrate is then passed through a 23 μm pore size cellulose acetatefilter. The collected filtrate is then treated with an equal volume of2M sodium hydroxide, to remove any remaining chlorophyll (applicable toapplications using butane or propane as a solvent). The organic/aqueousmixture is then passed through a separatory funnel to isolate theorganic layer containing the CBDs. To the organic layer-containing theCBDs, 1 gram of magnesium sulfate is added to remove any residual water.Rotary evaporation can then be deployed to remove excess solvent (e.g.,ethanol) from the sample. Remaining water can be removed using either anazeotropic distillation, or implementation of anhydrous calcium chloride(desiccant), for removing <5% wt. of water content remaining in thefinal clear extracted product.

In further refinements of the invention, initial water-removing stepsmay be performed as part of the harvesting and shredding/grinding phasewhereby water may be removed by an azeotropic distillation process. Thebiomass-extracted filtrate-containing CBDs, a 70% by volume, ofcyclohexane is added to the mixture, and distilled at 62.1° C. undervacuum (3000-90 mBar) to remove the cyclohexane and water, leaving theethanol-containing CBD, or THC. Additional water-removing steps andsolvent recovery can likewise be integrated to treat the extractfollowing the application of ultrasound, which may include knownazeotropic drying processes and the like. The recovered solvent may alsobe processed for recycling and continuously utilized in the methods ofthe present invention in either a batch or continuous flow application.

In a further refinement (not shown), the slurry following treatment withultrasound may be subjected to a French press whereby the biomasscomponent is compressed from the liquid component. Such technique iswell-known in the art and is operative to facilitate the removal ofsolids from the desired liquid extract. It is likewise contemplated thatother solid/liquid separation techniques can be performed to the slurryfollowing treatment with ultrasound, such as centrifugation.

Still further, to address a well-known problem associated with residualbiomass, any such biomass, following removal of the desired extractcontaining the cannabinoids of interest, may separately be treated againwith ultrasound to reduce mass volume. Such secondary ultrasoundprocessing may be carried out with the Hielscher systems referencedabove and can be performed using known frequencies, power and durationknown in the art for treating sewage. An exemplary application couldinclude ultrasonic irradiation from 35 to 130 kHz for different timeperiods ranging from 5 to 20 minutes at intensity of 50-60 watts persquare cm.

It is also expressly contemplated that on-going solvent recoveryapplications 30 may be integrated into the processes of the presentinvention, especially following post ultrasound treatment of the slurry.Exemplary techniques include EVAP/vacuum recovery and boiling recoveredsolvent. With respect to the latter, commercially available systemsoperative to facilitate solvent recovery include ECOPURE SolventRecyclers produced by PPC Technologies & Solutions LLC of Pewaukee, Wis.Advantageously, all of the aforementioned equipment referenced above isportable in nature and can be readily transported to on-site growlocations for immediate processing of freshly harvested cannabis, whichdispenses with the need to harvest, transport and process off site. Theability to process “wet” cannabis that is freshly harvested likewiseallows for dramatically faster processing that eliminates conventionaldrying, as discussed above.

The aforementioned steps and devices for performing the same may also bereadily arranged to process cannabis in either separate batch processesor by continuous flow. With respect to the latter, and as shown in FIG.1, each of the steps can be integrated with one another so that freshlyharvested cannabis 12 can be immediately fed to a shredder 18, mixedwith cold solvent in mixing tank 22 to form a slurry, exposed toultrasound 26, filtered and treated for chlorophyll removal 28 all in acontinuous manner on-site and in immediate proximity to where thecannabis is harvested. The other optional steps, such as French pressfiltering, secondary biomass treatment with ultrasound and solventrecovery can likewise be readily integrated on-site, and integrated, forexample, at the Filter step 28 shown in FIG. 1. As will be readilyappreciated by those skilled in the art, the processes of the presentinvention can be scaled according to a desired weight of cannabismaterial to be processed for extraction, and can be designed for a givencrop or acreage of cannabis harvested provided the parameters and limitsof each of the steps described herein are adhered to.

The extraction technology of the present invention may further bepracticed in accordance with a second exemplary system 200 depicted inFIG. 2, to which the following disclosure is directed. As per theaforementioned discussion, the cannabis plant material is shredded tohave the desired particulate size, and may include either selectportions of the cannabis plant or the entire cannabis plant, includingthe thicker plant structures such as the roots and stems. To that end,the aforementioned practices discussed above with respect to generatingthe desired particulate size of plant material may be utilized,including any root-type vegetable washing and processing as may beneeded or desired, with elements 212, 214, 216 and 218 corresponding toelements 12, 14 16 and 18 of FIG. 1.

With respect to the various components referenced in FIG. 2, the sameare listed below as utilized in connection with an ethanol-based solventdistillation system operative to derive extracts according to thepresent invention. As per the first embodiment discussed above, thesystem depicted in FIG. 2 is deemed exceptional at deriving not onlyextracts from cannabis, but also essential oils and fragrance-basedcompositions from plant materials as well. With respect to the variouscomponents shown and operatively interconnected to one another:

Ethanol tank 220: This is a stainless steel, pharmaceutical gradeprocessing tank having a volume of approximately 2000 liters. Such tankwill store ethanol, whereby a pump 222 is connected thereto to pump therequired ethanol into a mixer tank 224. The ethanol tank 220 alsoreceives the recovered solvent from the fractionating column (referencedas COLUMN 226), discussed more fully below. The ethanol tank 220 willpreferably be filled to capacity before operations, especially whendeployed for remote processing. To optimize the extraction process, andin particular to facilitate the effectiveness of the application ofultrasound, and the removal of contaminates such as waxes and the like,it is contemplated that the ethanol tank will be provided with a coolingmechanism, such as a conventional cooling jacket 228 utilizing liquidnitrogen as shown, such that the ethanol stored and distributedtherefrom is maintained at a temperature ranging from −40 to −60° C. Tothat end, it is believed that insulation or other materials necessary tomaintain such reduced temperatures will be implemented in connectionwith the ethanol tank and ethanol delivered therefrom.

The mixer tank 224 is likewise a stainless steel, pharmaceutical gradetank having a volume of approximately 1000 liters that is operativelyconnected to the output of the aforementioned shredder apparatus 218discussed above. As illustrated, the shredder/feeder system ofcomponents 212, 214, 216 and 218 are mounted on the top thereof, and mayoptionally be contained within an enclosed environment, shown in brokenlines, so as to minimize potential contamination from outside sources.In the exemplary embodiment being discussed, the shredder unit 218 iscommercially available and will have a capacity to deliver up toapproximately 45 Kg of shredded plant biomass per hour into the mixertank 224. As discussed above, cryomilling may be utilized in connectionwith the shredding process to achieve more thorough and uniformparticulate formation plus reduce the temperature of the plant material.

As the fresh, shredded plant biomass is fed into the mixer tank 224,ethanol is likewise fed from the ethanol tank 220 in the appropriateproportions, as discussed earlier. To that end, the rate of ethanol fedis controlled by a control valve 228 and flow meter 230, as shown. Theethanol is likewise preferably maintained in a refrigerated state of−40° C. or less, and preferably between −40 and −60° C. as achievedthrough a cooling mechanism, such as cooling jacket 232 as shown. Theshredded biomass and ethanol mixture will be agitated by an impellerfixed atop of mixer tank 224 for a duration extending from thirtyseconds to ten minutes and stored in the mixing tank 224 before furtherprocessing. Ideally, the mixing tank 224 is designed to be always halfempty and is further designed to have a funnel-shape bottom, as shown,to facilitate the flow of the slurry, including any sediment that may beproduced as a result of the agitation process, as well as to prevent theintroduction of air into the slurry that can negatively impact theapplication of ultrasound, discussed below.

The slurry of ethanol with plant material will be fed by at least one,but possibly two or more lines for further processing, such as throughthe two dedicated lines 234, 236 shown in FIG. 2. In this regard, it isbelieved that having multiple feed lines 234, 236 from the mixer tank224 will enable the system 200 to run continuously and provide parallelprocessing, such as when one line may be shut down for maintenance,removing clogs of plant material, and the like, and allowing a secondline to continue the slurry to be processed further. As should beunderstood, however, such multiple lines 234, 236 are optional andprovided merely to enable a continuous system to run more reliably byproviding redundancy.

Sonicators 238 (or ultrasonic reactor, such as 26 as referred to inFIG. 1) will subject the shredded plant-ethanol slurry fed from themixing tank 224 to ultra-sonic energy and extract the plant oils intothe ethanol solvent as per the earlier discussion above. To that end,such sonicator 238 will deploy ultrasound at a frequency ranging from 5kHz-1 MHz with the general range of 10 kHz-60 kHz being preferred andwith 40 kHz being most preferred. The displacement amplitude will rangeof from about 20 to 100 micrometers, with 80 micrometers being mostpreferred. Likewise, the preferred range of power that should bedelivered should range from about 90 to about 160 watts per squarecentimeter of slurry treated. The ultrasonic energy will be applied fora duration ranging from 30 seconds to a maximum of 5 minutes, with up to120 seconds being preferred. As discussed above, the slurry will be fedto the ultrasound sonication step in a refrigerated state, and should bemaintained at a temperature of −40° C. or less so as to minimize therelease of wax from the plant material. Also, the use of pinch valvesshould be utilized at the outlet of the sonicators 238 so as to regulatethe internal pressure of the liquid medium that is present forultrasonic irradiation.

Following the application of ultrasound, it is believed that to deriveextracts with the minimum amount of wax and chlorophyll contaminants,the post-ultrasound treated slurry will continue to be refrigerated inthe range of −40 to −60° C. so as to allow for the removal ofcontaminants through conventional winterizing processes. Along thoselines, it is believed that in certain applications that the removal ofcontaminants through winterizing techniques (e.g., removal of solidifiedwax) can be deployed prior to the application of ultrasound, as may bedesired.

Following the step of sonication, a spiral mesh filter 240 is deployedto separate the solid biomass from the liquid component, the latter ofwhich is a mixture of ethanol, water and oils extracted from thecannabis plant. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, such filter 240 willpreferably have the capacity to filter approximately 60 liters of slurryper minute. The solid residue component is disposed of while the liquidcomponent flows to the next unit for further processing discussed below.In an optional processing step not shown, such solid residue may furtherbe subjected to a second ultrasound application, as discussed above inthe embodiment of FIG. 1, to reduce its mass and thus minimize thevolume of waste generated. Such biomass may also be processed forrepurposing in a variety of environmentally-friendly applications.

A centrifugal filter 242, which will be of a conventional nature, willnext separate the fine particles from the liquid component. In theexemplary embodiment being discussed, the rate of flow through thefilter will be approximately 60 liters per minute.

As presently contemplated, a chlorophyll filter 244 will next besequentially deployed as shown. Such chlorophyll filtering may beachieved through a variety of known techniques and mechanisms known inthe art and may likewise include the use of a series of membranefiltration techniques covering microfiltration to remove colloidalmatter, tight ultrafiltration or nano-filtration to reduce the colorintensity imparted majorly by chlorophyll A and chlorophyll B and to aminor extent by other forms of the coloring matter, with the filtratebeing further subjected to activated carbon. In such embodiment, thecriteria for selection of membrane separation techniques, going by themolecular weights and sizes of the dissolved components of the extract,will be based on the membrane material as well as the pore sizes havingfine distribution and, more importantly, compatibility with the ethanolsolvent for extended periods of operation. Such membrane materialsbelieved appropriate for use in the practice of the present inventioninclude polyamide, polyimide, and polyethersulfone and the pore sizes inthe form of molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) ranging from 200 Da to 2000Da. The membranes are tested for the individual component rejection andflux (permeation flow rates across membranes per unit area) tounderstand the suitability and evaluate the basic performance.

Results based on the indicated membranes showed varying levels ofchlorophyll color reduction ranging from approximately 60% to up to 90%.This reduction is believed significant. In this respect, the filtrateswith the indicated quantum of color reduction are likely to have thatmuch less issue on the final quality of the product. Tests conducted onthe filtrates with activated carbon (AC) showed color free liquidcomposition, indicating easy removal of the traces of color, if any. Thequantity of AC required to remove the traces of remaining, if required,is likely to be fractional as compared to what may be originally neededon the extract without membrane filtration.

Post color removal step, the membrane filtrate is likely to have theoriginal CBD oil intact in the ethanol which only requiresdesolventization step, discussed below, that leaves improved quality oilas product and ethanol recovered for reuse.

To the extent waxes are not removed earlier through winterization eitherbefore or after application of ultrasound and/or if further wax removalis desired or deemed necessary, a conventional wax filtering step 246may be deployed as shown. Such wax filtering may be achieved through avariety of known techniques and mechanisms known in the art.

Following the sequential removal of biomass and contaminants, theresultant liquid component is fed to receiver tank 248. This, too, is astainless steel, pharmaceutical grade tank having a volume of preferablyup to 1000 liters and operative to store the liquid mixture ofethanol-water-oils following the aforementioned filtration operations.The liquid from this tank 248 is pumped using the pump 250 as shown intothe boiler 252, discussed next, before it enters the fractionatingcolumn 226 referenced earlier.

The boiler 252 is a stainless steel, pharmaceutical grade, shell andtube heat exchanger which boils the liquid fed thereto using steam. Toreduce the temperature necessary to effectuate vaporization of liquidmixture fed thereto, it is contemplated that vacuum distillation methodsmay be deployed via the boiler 252 whereby the pressure is reduced sothat a correspondingly lower boiling temperature can be achieved. Tothat end, it is believed that utilizing temperatures in the range of 40to 50° C. and a reduced pressure of 100 mBar or approximately 0.1atmospheres or less will be optimal. The vapor phase achieved thereby isthen sent to the recovery column 226 for separation of water, oil andethanol, discussed next.

The recovery column 226 is a tall stainless steel, pharmaceutical gradecolumn packed with stainless steel sheets (this is also referred to as apacked fractionating column). This component 226 separates the threeliquid components, namely, the water (which becomes introduced into theslurry by virtue of shredding fresh plant material), ethanol and oil. Asshown, the water is disposed of, the ethanol is fed to a condenser 254(discussed next) and subsequently sent to the ethanol tank 220 forreuse. The oil component is collected from the bottom of the column 226as the end product 256. In the embodiment being discussed, the recoverycolumn 226 is integrated as part of a continuous process and has acapacity of approximately 400 liters per hour.

Condenser 254 is a shell and tube heat exchanger made of pharmaceuticalgrade stainless steel, just like the other aforementioned components,and has the purpose to condense the ethanol vapors to a liquid phase andsend back to the ethanol tank 220. Its construction and operation areconventional and would be readily understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art.

Valves, Pipes, Hoses and Flow Meters: As will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, the various valves, pipes, hoses, flow meters andother integrated components will be of a commercially available natureand selected for their appropriate application as would be known to anordinary artisan. Preferably, whenever available such components willalso be fabricated from stainless steel. Because the aforementionedextraction process involves a slurry of particulate plant materialsuspended in solvent, it will be readily understood and appreciated thatthe various components of the system should be designed such that thereare a minimum of turns, angles, bends, and the like and every effortshould made to ensure that the flow path is maintained in as linear aspossible, and preferably designed to flow in a downward orientation soas to continuously provide for a gravitational pull of the flow in adownward direction. All such components, and in particular the valvesand flow meters, should be operative to accommodate the volumes offluids flowing therethrough.

Along those lines, flow rates in all non-horizontal sections should befaster than the separation speed, namely, the sedimentation rate bywhich the solid plant components fall by gravitational pull from thesolvent component. As will be appreciated, measurements of thesedimentation rate for all materials (e.g., buds, stems, leaves) shouldbe assessed, as should particle morphology and size, both of whichaffect separation speed. Ideally, flow in all near-horizontal sectionsshould be fast enough to avoid sedimentation.

It is further believed that the shortest pipe lengths that can be usedwill further optimize fluid flow and minimize clogging. It shouldfurther be appreciated that, whenever possible, components should beutilized that are deemed explosion proof, or D1.1 certified. Likewise,all components should be operative to maintain a consistent flow andpressure of the liquids pass through the systems and all seals should beinspected for full compatibility/resistance to ethanol, water, biomassparticles, and low temperatures.

Pumps: As there are hosts of pumps in the market, these components willalso be selected using conventional components and selected based uponwhich is the best suited for the aforementioned applications, as couldbe determined by one of ordinary skill in the art. To that end, onecommercially available pump believed to be ideally suited for thepractice of the present invention is the Seepex & MD 1212 produced bySEEPEX GmbH.

In yet a further alternative third embodiment shown in FIG. 3, there isdepicted system 300 for ultimately deriving the oil-based extracts otherthan through the boiler and recovery column as shown FIG. 2. In thisregard, and as discussed more fully below, such alternative embodimentdeploys a wiped film-type evaporator system whereby the filtered slurry,as may be optionally stored in a storage tank 328, is introduced into anAgitated Thin Film Evaporator (ATFE). The ATFE is operative to evenlydistribute the filtered slurry over the ATFE's inner surface by aninternal rotor. As the product spirals down the wall per gravitationalpull, the high-speed rotor tip is operative to generate highly turbulentflow resulting in the formation of bow waves and creating optimum heatflux and mass transfer conditions. The water and ethanol that arepresent in the product feed are caused to evaporate via conductive heattransfer and ultimately caused to exit a vapor discharge section andthereafter condensed. The non-volatile oil-based components, on theother hand, are discharged at an outlet.

Such system 300, and the methods by which the same are operative toderive the extracts of the present invention is more fully describedbelow. Per the other aforementioned embodiments, cannabis plant materialis provided that is shredded to the desired particulate size mentionedabove. To that end, system 300 provides a load cell 302 for receivingand holding cannabis plant material that is transferred to hopper 304and ultimately by a conveyor system, such as a screw-type conveyer orconveyer belt, to chopper 308 driven by motor 306. As per the otheraforementioned embodiments, the transfer of the cannabis to chopper 308may involve the pre-treatment of the cannabis plant material with liquidnitrogen for a duration sufficient so as to freeze the plant materialprior to chopping and shredding. Alternatively, treatment with nitrogencan occur as part of a systematic, continuous process where the cannabisor hemp is subjected to liquid nitrogen as part of the transfer processfrom load cell 302, to hopper 304, and ultimately to chopper 308. Inthis regard, it is contemplated that the conveyor belt transport maypossess a certain length and speed that may coincide with a specificdelivery of liquid nitrogen so as to ensure thorough freezing of theplant material prior to being processed into particulate plant materialsas may be desired per conventional cryomilling practices.

Once formed to have the desired particulate size, the plant material isfed to mixer 312 into which is also fed ethanol from ethanol tank 310 ina specified range of ratio of ethanol to plant material discussed above,which preferably ranges from 25 mL of ethanol per 10 grams of cannabisto 25 mL of ethanol per 2 to 3 grams of cannabis, with 25 mL to 5 gramstypically being deemed most ideal, and mixed for a duration ranging fromthirty seconds to ten minutes. In addition, the ethanol provided byethanol tank 310 will be maintained at a temperature ranging from −40 to−60° C. and maintained at that temperature so that such slurry formedwithin mixing tank 312 is preferably maintained at a temperature of −40°C. or lower, and preferably in the range of −40 to −60° C. as discussedabove. As per the embodiments in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mixer should beformed to have a conical bottom to facilitate slurry flow and reducesediment build-up/facilitate sediment removal. Care should also beexercised to prevent air from being introduced into the slurry mixtureduring the step of mixing.

The slurry ultimately formed within mixing tank 312 is pumped by screwpump 314 and refrigerated further in unit 318 whereby liquid nitrogencools the slurry so as to facilitate the removal of waxes and othercomponents through conventional winterization. As discussed above, inall aspects involving the flow of slurry, the flow rates in allnon-horizontal sections should be faster than the separation speed,namely, the sedimentation rate by which the solid plant components fallby gravitational pull from the solvent component. Ideally, flow in allnear-horizontal sections should be fast enough to avoid sedimentation.

Thereafter, the slurry is subject to sonic energy provided by sonicator320. Per the aforementioned embodiments, such ultrasound is preferablyapplied at a frequency ranging from 5 kHz-1 MHz with the general rangeof 10 kHz-60 kHz is preferred and 40 kHz being most preferred. Suchsonic energy will further be applied with a displacement amplitude inthe range from about 20-100 μm, with 80 μm being most preferred, andwith power being delivered in the range from 90 to 160 watts per squarecentimeter of liquid slurry being treated. The ultrasound will furtherpreferably be applied by sonicator 320 for a duration ranging from 30seconds to a maximum of 5 minutes, with up to 120 seconds beingpreferred. The slurry is further preferably maintained at a temperatureof −40° C. or less when the ultrasound is applied. Importantly, the useof at least one pinch valve 316 should be deployed on the outlet side ofthe sonicator 320 to regulate the internal pressure therein where theliquid medium is present for ultrasonic irradiation.

The post-sonicated slurry is then fed to a coarse disc filter 322 thatis operative to facilitate the removal of a portion of the solid biomassportion from the liquid component of the slurry and likewise act as adewatering system that will squeeze out the biomass and separate thesolids and the liquid. Although not shown, such filter 322 is preferablydeployed as a multi-disk screw filter press that has a central screwwith fixed and rotating disks around the screw. Ideally, the flow ratefor such filter 322 will be 1.5-3.0 liters per minute.

A pump then further causes the liquid component of the slurry to pass tocandy filter or pressure filter 324 for further filtration to removeremaining biomass from the liquid component of the slurry. According toa preferred embodiment, such filter 324 will have a cloth filter mediumwith a 1 micron opening. This will remove all the slurry plant particlesup to 1 micron size. Per disc filter 322, the candy filter will beoperative to accommodate a flow rate of 1.5-3.0 liters per minute. Asper the other aforementioned embodiments, to the extent the biomass isisolated from the slurry, the same may be treated further withultrasound to produce a lesser volume of biomass or, alternatively, thebiomass may be repurposed for other environment-friendly applications.

The liquid portion of the slurry is then fed to a chlorophyll filtersystem 326 that is operative to remove the chlorophyll present in theliquid portion of the slurry fed thereto. To that end, it iscontemplated that chlorophyll filter system 326 will be operative toremove the chlorophyll by any of a variety of methods known in the art.Likewise contemplated are the mechanisms for removing chlorophyll asdiscussed above in connection with the embodiment of FIG. 2 whereby aseries of membrane filtration techniques are deployed, in combinationwith and activated carbon, that cover microfiltration to removecolloidal matter, tight ultrafiltration or nano-filtration to reduce thecolor intensity imparted majorly by chlorophyll A and chlorophyll B andto a minor extent by other forms of the coloring matter. Such membranematerials may be selected from the group consisting of polyamide,polyimide, and polyethersulfone having pore sizes in the molecularweight cut-off (MWCO) range from 200 Da to 2000 Da. Advantageously, thesubsequently produced filtrates, when further treated with activatedcarbon (AC) showed color free liquid composition, indicating easyremoval of the traces of color, if any. The quantity of activated carbonrequired to remove the traces of remaining, if required, is likely to befractional as compared to what may be originally needed on the extractwithout membrane filtration.

Following the removal of chlorophyll, the liquid component is fed tostorage tank 328, which is then fed by pump 330 to the ATFE systems332A, 332B. ATFEs 332A, 332B are essentially operative to extractsolvent (i.e., ethanol alone and/or the combination of water andethanol) at low temperature using vacuum evaporation at a temperaturepreferably below 50° C. To that end, each ATFE 332A, 332B will beconstructed to perform wiped-film evaporative oil-solvent separationprocesses and will include a vertical cylinder with a central shaft withblades fixed and in close contact with the inner wall of the cylinder.Each ATFE 332A, 332B likewise has two drums, with one outer heated drum,on the inside of which the thin film is formed, and an inner drum withinwhich is disposed a central shaft on which the wiper blades are fixed.The inner rotor drum is empty and can be filled with moisture adsorbingmolecular sieves to make a packed bed. The ethanol-water mixture vaporcan be made to pass through this packed bed column, and dry vapor madeto come out. Moreover, per conventional wiped-film separationtechniques, the cylinder is operative to be heated to a suitabletemperature. The central shaft is connected to a motor and rotates athigh speed, and the blades scraping the inner walls of the cylinder whena liquid is distributed along the inner wall of the cylinder, the bladesscrape it and forms a thin film on the heated cylinder wall. Thecylinder is connected to a vacuum pump which sucks out all the vaporsthat form when the thin film is heated. Ultimately, the vapors ofethanol and/or ethanol and water will escape out where as the oilcomponent containing the cannabinoids, which will have a higher boilingpoint, will not evaporate and trickles down along the cylinder wall andis collected at the bottom (product outlet).

According to the present invention, each ATFE will be sized andconstructed to treat and separate a maximum of 8000 liters of liquid(mixture of ethanol, water and oil) in 20 hours. To that end, each ATFE332A, 332B preferably has a diameter of approximately 0.9 m and a heightof 3 m, and each will have a surface area of 7 sq. meters and operativeto have an operating temperature of 40 to 50° C. under a pressure of 50mm Hg. According to such embodiment, the flow rate of liquid fed to theATFEs 332A, 332B will be approximately 400 liters per hour.Advantageously, such system has a capacity to process 1000 Kgs./day offresh cannabis plant biomass and generate oil production ofapproximately 27 Kgs./day. Moreover, as will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, by removing the solvent component via a lowtemperature process thus it avoids any degradation of the cannabinoidsdue to heat. Moreover, it is a continuous process and can be furtherscaled up. Perhaps most advantageous, however, is the fact that theATFEs 332A, 332B are operative to remove both water (emanating from theshredded cannabis plant) and solvent together from the oil extract andthus enable freshly harvested plant materials with a high water contentto be processed immediately without the need for drying or having todehydrate the plant material as so many other conventional processesmust do.

As shown, in order to achieve optimal production, there are preferablyat least two such systems 332A, 332B installed as part of system 300.While one ATFE is operating, the respective other second one will begetting regenerated under high vacuum. The cooling effect due toevaporative cooling can be used to condense the ethanol/water vaporsfrom first packed bed. Thus, by alternating between the two systems332A, 332B, there can be a continuous operation.

Once the ATFEs 332A, 332B separate the ethanol-water vapors from theoil, and the oil is collected at the bottom of the ATFE as shown anddiscussed above, the ethanol-water vapors pass through a fractionatingcolumn 334 where ethanol is separated from the water and condensed incondenser 336, per conventional mechanisms known in the art. The ethanolis then collected through vacuum recovery per vacuum trap 338 driven byvacuum pump 340 and recycled back to ethanol tank 310. Water producedfrom the ethanol water separation in the fractionation column 334 isdiscarded.

As will be furthered appreciated by those skilled in the art, it will beunderstood that all of the aforementioned systems disclosed inconnection with FIGS. 1-3 will incorporate electrical and electronicscomponents operative to control the extraction processes and monitor allsystems parameters, such as plant mass weight, speed, temperatures, flowrate, vacuum pressures and the like. To that end, and as shown by way ofexample in FIG. 3, it is contemplated that at multiple points throughoutthe processing flow path that various pumps, switches, liquid inlets andoutlets and the like will be provided. Further integrated with suchcontrol systems include resistance thermometers or resistancetemperature detectors, identified as RTD, that are deployed to measurethe temperature utilizing known, conventional technology. Likewise,deployed are magnetic flow meters, represented as MFM, for monitoringthe rate of fluid flow; variable frequency drives, referenced as VFD,for adjusting motor speed and torque as may be desired at a particularpoints in the processing; and vacuum transmitters, shown as VT, foraccurately measuring pressures and vacuum ranges, particularly withrespect to the operation of the ATFEs 332A, 332B shown in FIG. 3. Allsuch controls are well-known in the art and can be readily deployed byone of ordinary skill.

In the context of the present invention, there is further shown in FIGS.4 and 5 a process 400 by which the systems of the present invention maybe systematically operated for optimal and reproduceable extractproduction. According to such process 400, an initial assessment is madeas to whether specific preconditions for proper processing are met 402.In this regard, such preconditions include confirmation that each of therespective components is in operative working order, all hoses andconnections are clear and not clogged, and an adequate supply of allnecessary materials, including reserves of ethanol, liquid nitrogen, andthe like are all provided and readily accessible. To the extent anydeficiencies exist, the same are addressed in step 404 per conventionaltroubleshooting and maintenance. In some cases, it may be deemed optimalto test any of the aforementioned systems shown in FIGS. 1-3 with cleartap water to possibly identify the location of any leaks, which may thenbe followed by running the system with water and chopped greens toidentify any potential hydraulic issues. Thereafter, if necessary, thesystems should be test operated with ethanol and then eventually ethanolwith cannabis.

Once proper operation of the entire system is confirmed, operationstarts at 406 followed by step 408, which applies to the system shown inFIG. 3 whereby the ATFE systems are activated such that the same areoperative to perform the wipe-film evaporated process within the heatingand the vacuum parameters disclosed above as required for properoperation.

Thereafter, a confirmed quantity of cannabis is provided and madereadily available in step 410 that will be subsequently conveyed byconveyor process 412 in an appropriate weight and at an appropriate rateper step 414 to the mixing tank discussed in each of the aforementionedsystems. Such step 414 may further involve the integrated treatment ofthe conveyed plant material with liquid nitrogen in amounts suitable tofacilitate cryomilling applications.

Concurrently with the delivery of the plant material, the ethanol willbe fed to the mixing tank and the proportional amounts discussed asdiscussed above such that the ratio of solvent to plant material isappropriately maintained. Once the mixing tank has been provided withadequate amounts of solvent and plant material in the desired rations,the conveyer process stops at 418 and mixing allowed to continue in themixing tank for an appropriate duration as identified in step 420, thelatter being tied to a signal, such as a green light, operative toindicate when the slurry has been formed and is ready for furtherprocessing. The process 400 then proceeds by A 500 to FIG. 5 whereby theslurry, once sufficiently mixed, is fed to the sonication processor thatis operative to automatically deliver a sufficient degree of ultrasonicenergy to the appropriate volumes of slurry passing therethrough 510. Tothat end, all systems should be maintained so as to eliminate any feedof air pockets, foam or bubbles, into the ultrasound processor, and caremust be taken to check for vortexes and trapped gas in any of thebiomass solids. As it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art,trapped gases in any biomass can adversely affect the application ofultrasound and possibly damage the ultrasound equipment.

Following the application of the ultrasound 510, operators of thepresent invention will activate all filter pumps to facilitate theremoval of contaminates and biowaste, in particular any materialsremoved by winterization and the proper extraction and isolation ofbiomass.

Following the activation of the filter pumps in step 512, and once thestorage tank, in reference to the system of FIG. 3, has reached arequisite volume, the activation of the solvent extraction may bedeployed, in particular the introduction of the liquid component of theslurry to the ATFE at step 514 as may be controlled by various pumps,flow rate monitors, vacuum transmitters, and temperature sensors suchthat the final extract and the solvents removed therefrom are allgenerated and separated in conformance with all of the aforementionedparameters, including but not limited to volumes of fluid, temperatureranges, specified vacuum pressures and the like.

Advantageously, the aforementioned systems shown and described arecapable of being designed and configured to operate as a standalonesystem or may be mounted on a truck or flatbed, such as a mobile skid,so as to be mobile in nature and operative to be deployed for remoteprocessing, such as at farming operations to allow extracts to begenerated on-sire immediately after harvesting. In such applications, itis contemplated that a reserve of ethanol should be kept on hand andmade available. To that end, it is suggested that a separate tanker(about 3000 liters) filled with ethanol should accompany the mobilesystem.

In all cases, the ultimate extracts derived by the processes of thepresent invention have an exceptionally high concentration ofcannabinoids, and in particular CBDs that can be quantified by UV-visabsorbent spectroscopy and other known methods. Quite unexpectedly, themethods of the present invention are operative to derive extracts havingapproximately 70% greater concentration of desired cannabinoids thanconventional extraction methods. For any given particular extract, thespeciation of the cannabinoid of interest and its relative abundance canbe determined through conventional analytical techniques such as GCMSand NMR. To the extent a particular cannabinoid is of interest, the samemay be further isolated using known techniques and subsequently utilizedto derive therapeutic compositions, as well as processed foradministration to individuals. Any specific cannabinoids so isolated mayfurther be molecularly modified to produce cannabinoid derivativesuseful to treat a particular condition such as anxiety, dementia or anyof many other specific conditions.

To that end, it is contemplated that CBDs isolated through the extractsof the present invention may further be modified, for example, tomotivate localization at targeted areas of treatment. Hydroxylations, oradditions of other carboxylates, for instance, will mechanically drivethe efficiency in CBDs crossing the blood brain barrier (BBB). Thesemodifications can be accomplished through such synthetic chemistrytechniques as markovnikov addition of leaving groups directed at theolefins for nucleophilic addition of functional groups. The resultingCBD derivatives are stable, therapeutically relevant pharmaceuticalcompositions having greater bioavailability and efficacy thannaturally-derived cannabinoids due to the ability of such compositionsto be more hydrophilic in nature and operative to be more readilyabsorbed systemically than the naturally-occurring molecular forms fromwhich they are derived. As will be appreciated by those skilled in theart, any of a variety of modifications may be made to derivecannabinoid-based compositions operative to produce a desiredtherapeutic effect.

Additional modifications and improvements of the present invention mayalso be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Along thoselines, and as discussed above, the methods of the present invention maybe operatively deployed to extract other target cannabinoids orcombinations of cannabinoids, including any or all of the followingcannabinoids and their derivatives: Cannabigerolic Acid (CBGA);Cannabigerolic Acid Monoethylether (CBGAM); Cannabigerolic (CBG);Cannabigerolic Monoethylether (CBGM); Cannabigerovarinic Acid (CBGVA);Cannabigerovarin (CBGV); Cannibichromenic Acid (CBCA); Cannibichromene(CBC); Cannibichromevarinic Acid (CBCVA); Cannibichromevarin (CBCV);Cannabidiolic Acid (CBDA); Cannabidiol Monoethylether; Cannabidiol-C4(CBD-C4); Cannabidivarinic Acid (CBDVA); Cannabidivarin (CBDV);Cannabidiorcol (CBS-C1); Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabinolic Acid A (INPLANTAA-A); Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabinolic Acid B (INPLANTA A-B);Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabinol (INPLANTA); Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabinol-C4(INPLANTA -C4); Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabivarin (INPLANTA V);Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabiorcolic Acid (INPLANTA A-C1);Delta-9-tetrahyrocannabiorcol (INPLANTA-C1);Delta-7-cis-iso-tetrahyrocannbivarin; Delta-8-tetrahyrocannabinolic Acid(8-INPLANTA A); Delta-8-tetrahyrocannabinol (8-INPLANTA);Cannabicyclolic Acid (CBLA); Cannabicyclol (CBL); Cannabicyclovarin(CBLV); Cannabielsoic Acid A (CBEA-A); Cannabielsoic Acid B (CBEA-B);Cannabielsoin (CBE); Cannabinolic Acid (CBNA); Cannabinol (CBN);Cannabinol Methylether (CBNM); Cannabinol-C4 (CBN-C4); Cannabivarin(CBV); Cannabinol-C2 (CBN-C2); Cannabiorcol (CBN-C1); Cannabinodiol(CBND); Cannabinodivarin (CBVD); Cannabitriol (CBT);10-Ethoxy-9-hydroxy-delta-6a-tetrahyrocannabinol;8,9-Dihydroxy-delta-6a-tetrahyrocannabinol; Cannabitriolvarin (CBTV);Ethoxy-cannabitriolvarin (CBTVE); Dehydrocannabifuran (DCBF);Cannabifuran (CBF); Cannabichromanon (CBCN); Cannabicitran (CBT);10-Oxo-delta-6a-tetrahyrocannabinol (OINPLANTA);Delta-9-cis-tetrahydrocannbinol (cis-INPLANTA);3,4,5,6-Tetrahydro-7-hydroxy-alpha-alpha-2-trimethyl-9-n-propyl-2,6-methano-2H-1-benzoxocin-5-methanol (OH-iso-HHCV); Cannabiripsol (CBR);and Trihydroxy-delta-9-tetrahyrdocannabinol (triOH-INPLANTA).

In addition to extracting cannabinoids from cannabis, it is contemplatedthat the systems and methods of the present invention are exceptionallyeffective in deriving essential oils and fragrance-based compounds fromplant materials, as would be readily understood by those skilled in theart. In this regard, the systems and methods of the present inventionmay be readily utilized to derive extracts from rose, lavender and otherfragrant botanicals, especially by utilizing the cold ethanol processesdiscussed at length above. Thus, the particular combination of parts andsteps described and illustrated herein is intended to represent onlycertain embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended toserve as limitations of alternative devices and methods within thespirit and scope of the invention.

The following examples and representative procedures illustratingultrasound based extraction of CBDs from plant material in accordancewith the present teachings, and are likewise provided solely by way ofillustration. They are not intended to limit the scope of the appendedclaims or their equivalents.

The following samples were treated with ultrasound at the followingconditions:

TABLE 1-1 List of samples, solvent conditions and test parameters.Volume Temperature Type of Mass Ultrasound/ Sample Solvent (mL) (° C.)Sample (grams) Incubation Time Amplitude 1 Ethanol 250 26 Bud 50  30seconds 80 4 Ethanol 250 26 Bud 50 120 seconds 80 7 Ethanol 250 26 Bud50 300 seconds 80 24 Ethanol 250 26 Bud 50  2 minutes — 25 Ethanol 25026 Leaves/stems 50  2 minutes — 12 Ethanol 250 26 Bud 50 120 seconds 2013 Ethanol 250 26 Bud 50 120 seconds 60 11 Ethanol 250 26 Bud 50 120seconds 80 14 Ethanol 250 26 Bud 50 120 seconds 100 6 Ethanol 250 26Roots 50 120 seconds 80 26 Ethanol 250 26 Roots 50  2 minutes —

All samples were filtered and evaluated for CBD content by UV-Visiblespectroscopy. From these conditions, we determined that liquid phaseextraction of CBDs from plant materials by ultrasound is 30-100% greaterin efficiency than traditional extraction methods.

1.2 Filtering and Preparation of CBD Extracts from Biomass (PlantMaterial)

Following ultrasound, or incubation, of ethanol-submerged biomassmaterial (bud, leaves/stems, and root), the CBD-depleted biomass wasfiltered out by a course filter (100 μm). The resultant filtrate waspassed through a second gravimetric filter (10 μm). The resultantfiltrate was transparent and still contained chlorophyll.

To a 500 mL round bottom flask, 250 mL of sample #1 was placed on arotary evaporator (rotovap) to remove the ethanol. Once the ethanol wasevaporated off the sample, the oil extract still contained water. It wasdetermined that the fresh biomass material still contained water. Toremove the water from sample #1, 3 grams of magnesium sulfate was addedto the oil extract and incubated at room temperature (−26° C.) for 15minutes. Following this incubation step, 20 mL of 100% ethanol was addedto the oil extract, and passed through a 0.2 μm filter to remove themagnesium sulfate. The resulting filtrate was placed on the rotovap toremove the remaining ethanol. Once complete, the resulting material wasan oil extract-containing carboxylated CBDs.

1.3 Quantitative Analysis of the CBD Extracts by UV-Visible Spectroscopy

To the prepared oil extract, a 50 mL volume of 100% ethanol was added toeach sample from Table 1-1. Once the oil extract is diluted in ethanol,this makes handling the material easier. To a quartz cuvette, we added500 μL of ethanol-containing oil extract to 2.5 mL of 100% ethanol. Forsample #6, we added 250 μL of ethanol-containing oil extract to 2.75 mLof 100% ethanol. These steps were taken to dilute the sample foradequate detection. Each sample was measured for absorbance at 312 nmwavelength. Measuring the absorbance at 312 nm is inclusive to 90% ofthe known therapeutically relevant CBDs. As shown in FIG. 6, which showsAbsorbance of CBD extracts at 312 nm by UV-visible spectroscopy, incomparing traditional extractions of bud, leaves/stems, and roots(samples #24, #25, and #26) to the use of ultrasound there is a greaterthan 2-fold increase in CBD content for sample #6. For sample #1, thereis still a significant increase in content over the traditionallyextracted samples. In conclusion, these data indicate that ultrasound isan ideal mechanism for extracting therapeutically relevant CBDs fromplant materials.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for extracting and concentratingcannabinoids from cannabis plant material comprising the step: a)harvesting a cannabis plant from which said cannabis plant material isderived; b) shredding or grinding said harvested plant in step a) toproduce particulate plant material; c) mixing said particulate plantmaterial in step b) with a solvent to form a slurry; d) subjecting saidslurry produced in step c) to ultrasonic energy, said ultrasonic energybeing applied at a frequency ranging from 5 kHz-1 MHz and having adisplacement amplitude in the range from about 20 to 100 mm with powerbeing delivered to said slurry in a range from about 90 to about 160watts per square centimeter of slurry treated, said ultrasound beingapplied for a duration ranging from 30 seconds to 5 minutes; e)filtering said slurry treated with ultrasound in step d) to remove wax,biomass and chlorophyll to derive a liquid extract; and f) treating saidextract produced in step e) to remove any water emanating from saidcannabis plant shredded in step b) and residual solvent introduced instep c) to produce a concentrated resultant extract.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein in step b), said cannabis plant material is shredded orgrinded to have a particle size ranging from 1 to 12 mm.
 3. The methodof claim 2 wherein said particle size ranges from 2 to 6 mm.
 4. Themethod of claim 1 wherein in step b) said plant material is shredded orgrinded to have a particle size operative to pass through a 0.5 inchmesh screen.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein said particulate plantmaterial is operative to pass through a 0.25 inch mesh screen.
 6. Themethod of claim 1 wherein in step c), said solvent is selected from thegroup consisting of water, ethanol, butane, propane, naphtha,supercritical carbon dioxide and 1, 1, 1, 2-tetrafluoroethane.
 7. Themethod of claim 1 wherein in step c) said solvent comprises ethanol. 8.The method of claim 1 wherein in step c), the amount of solvent added toparticulate cannabis plant material will range from 25 mL solvent per 50grams of particulate cannabis to 25 mL of solvent to 0.1 gram ofparticulate cannabis.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein in step c), theratio of solvent to cannabis ranges from 25 mL solvent to 10 grams ofparticulate plant matter to 25 mL solvent to 2 grams of plant matter.10. The method of claim 9 wherein step c), the range of solvent toparticulate cannabis plant material will range from 25 mL solvent per 10grams of particulate plant matter to 25 mL for 5 grams of particulateplant matter.
 11. The method of claim 7 wherein said ethanol ismaintained at a temperature of around −40 to −60° C. when mixed withsaid particulate plant matter to form said slurry.
 12. The method ofclaim 1 wherein in step d), said ultrasound is applied at a frequencyranging from 10 kHz to 60 kHz.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein saidultrasound is applied at a frequency of 40 kHz.
 14. The method of claim1 wherein said ultrasound possesses a displacement amplitude of 80 mm.15. The method of claim 1 wherein in step d), said ultrasound is appliedfor a duration ranging from 30 seconds to 120 seconds.
 16. The method ofclaim 1 wherein in step e), said biomass is at least partially removedand further subjected to ultrasound for a time, duration, frequency, andpower sufficient to reduce the mass of said biomass.
 17. The method ofclaim 1 wherein step e) further comprises recovering and recyclingsolvent from said post-ultrasound treated slurry.
 18. The method ofclaim 16 wherein step e) further comprises applying ultrasonic radiationat a frequency ranging from 35 to 130 kHz for a duration ranging from 5to 20 minutes and at an intensity of 50-60 watts per square centimeter.19. The method of claim 1 wherein said cannabinoid is selected from thegroup consisting of CBD and THC.
 20. A method for extracting andconcentrating cannabinoids from cannabis plant material comprising thestep: a) harvesting a cannabis plant from which said cannabis plantmaterial is derived; b) shredding or grinding said harvested plant instep a) to produce particulate plant material; c) mixing saidparticulate plant material in step b) with a solvent to form a slurry;d) subjecting said slurry produced in step c) to ultrasonic energy, saidultrasonic energy being applied at a frequency ranging from 5 kHz-1 MHzand having a displacement amplitude in the range from about 20 to 100 mmwith power being delivered to said slurry in a range from about 90 toabout 160 watts per square centimeter of slurry treated, said ultrasoundbeing applied for a duration ranging from 30 seconds to 5 minutes; ande) sequentially filtering said slurry produced in step d) to removebiomass, chlorophyll and wax to derive a liquid extract; f) heating saidextract produced in step e) to vaporize and separate any water emanatingfrom said cannabis plant shredded in step b), and solvent introduced instep c) to isolate a concentrated resultant extract.
 21. The method ofclaim 20 wherein in step b) said plant material is shredded or grindedto have a particle size operative to pass through a 0.5 inch meshscreen.
 22. The method of claim 20 wherein in step c) said solventcomprises ethanol.
 23. The method of claim 22 wherein in step c) saidethanol has a temperature of −40° C. or less.
 24. The method of claim 20wherein step f) further comprises reducing the pressure whileconcurrently heating said extract.
 25. The method of claim 24 whereinstep f) comprises wiped-film evaporative oil-solvent separation.
 26. Themethod of claim 25 wherein in step e), said chlorophyll is removed bythe sequential application of membrane filtration and activated carbon.